Would Bridge Make for Better Bridge Engineers?

Gates does it.  Buffet also does it.  Eisenhower did it.  The "it" in this case is the card game of bridge. I found this interesting in the Wall Street Journal by Michael Ledeen - The Ultimate War Game:

"The shrinking population of American bridge players goes hand in hand with other evidence of declining mental discipline, including shortening attention spans and decreases in book readership. You can't be a winning card player unless you can concentrate for several hours, and mastery of the game takes years.  Neither is bridge a solo activity; you need a partner with whom you must reach very detailed agreements about myriad situations.  All this is good for the mind."