If only this were a game of musical chairs.

But in the competition for curbside parking after a blizzard, the rules aren’t as clearly defined, occasionally leading those who are left circling the block without a space to retaliate against the “winners.”

After the sprawling snowstorm last month, a brawl over a parking spot left a Philadelphia man in critical condition; another argument, this time in Pittsburgh, led to a police response and a car was buried in snow; and in Boston, a man was accused of stabbing two people over a disputed space.

Whether you call it “dibs” or “savesies,” many cities in the northern United States have unwritten rules after snowstorms: The parking space belongs to the shoveler. Those spots are often saved with household items — chairs, tables, garbage bins, mattresses, and sometimes more elaborate displays.

All over TikTok, videos of the snow parking wars and perceived violations had viewers commenting with gleeful schadenfreude as spot-stealers got their cars covered in snow or water that would soon ice over. Millions tuned in, including some from warm-weather states such as California and Texas and as far as Greece and Nigeria.

In Boston, space savers can remain in a shoveled spot for up to 48 hours after a city-declared snow emergency. In Chicago, personal property isn’t allowed on “public ways,” but “dibs” are a longstanding tradition there.