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I suspect some people in the South seat counted 15 points and opened either 1 or 1 , which I suggest is wrong (playing a weak NT). Yes this South hand has 15 points, but it has no intermediates, no 5 card suit and the  QJ bare are hardly worth a full 3 points. If you're ever going to downgrade some poor 15 counts into your 1NT opener, then this surely has to be a candidate.
Assuming you do open the South hand 1NT, then North has the opposite problem. Yes it is only a 10 count, but it does have a 5 card suit and lots of intermediates. If I were playing teams, especially vulnerable as here, it is certainly understandable if you were to, say, transfer to spades and rebid 2NT to invite with a 5 card major - which South would obviously accept. Playing pairs it doesn't pay to be too pushy and the hand is strong enough to simply pass leaving partner in 1NT.
Anyway, by whatever route, South ended in some number of No Trumps at a lot of tables. What do you, as West, lead against an auction of 1-1-1NT-3NT? Clearly a minor suit as the opponents have bid both majors and West is longer in both minors. I suspect that many would choose the 4th best diamond, and this may work out on some hands. However, the diamonds are not 5 cards long and it is a holding that would normally like the lead to come up to it. Also, even if we can get, say, 3 tricks in diamonds set up, there is no outside entry in the West hand. From experience I suggest the alternative of your second best club could work out as well if not better.
So assume for a moment that West has lead 7 and assume that declarer decides to play low from dummy, what do you, as East, play? I guess a lot of you have been taught to play up on partner's lead (and this is certainly right in a lot of situations). But think about it here. It is possible that the 7 is a lead from AQ97 or longer, but is it at all likely? It is a lot more likely that partner has lead second best from rubbish in my experience. In which case we need to retain K for killing the jack, so the right play is 10.
Declarer captures your 10 with the queen and lets Q run, partner having played the 7 (West is a half decent partner who does give count on declarer's lead - that includes you - doesn't it?!). What do you do as East? Hold up of course. Partner's 7 could be single or double, probably the latter - we're not 100% sure yet - and there is no rush to take the King.
Declarer now lets the J run. What now? Well, I can imagine on some layouts, it being better to still hold off with the King - declarer will have to use a side suit entry up now to set up spades, so the King still won't run away. However, taking the king works here. And what you return? The K of course, killing the jack in dummy. Declarer probably does best to hold off with the ace (he gets a club lead through his 64 into the teeth of 95 otherwise), but it does him no good - declarer has to lose K, both red aces and 2 clubs for 1 down.
Alas it didn't happen that way at even one table!
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