diff --git a/.github/workflows/system-tests-latest-components.yml b/.github/workflows/system-tests-latest-components.yml
index f48ab4eb1..39bc1ceed 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/system-tests-latest-components.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/system-tests-latest-components.yml
@@ -50,11 +50,40 @@ on:
         type: string
 
 jobs:
-  run-system-tests:
+  run-system-tests-sharded:
+    name: Trigger system tests (shard ${{ matrix.shard }})
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'schedule' || inputs.suites == 'release' }}
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - shard: 1
+            suites: release_shard_1
+          - shard: 2
+            suites: release_shard_2
+    uses: precice/tutorials/.github/workflows/run_testsuite_workflow.yml@develop
+    with:
+      suites: ${{ matrix.suites }}
+      build_args: "PRECICE_REF:${{ inputs.ref-precice }},\
+        PYTHON_BINDINGS_REF:${{ inputs.ref-python-bindings }},\
+        CALCULIX_ADAPTER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-calculix-adapter }},\
+        DEALII_ADAPTER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-dealii-adapter }},\
+        DUMUX_ADAPTER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-dumux-adapter }},\
+        FENICS_ADAPTER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-fenics-adapter }},\
+        FENICSX_ADAPTER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-fenicsx-adapter }},\
+        MICRO_MANAGER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-micro-manager }},\
+        OPENFOAM_ADAPTER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-openfoam-adapter }},\
+        SU2_ADAPTER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-su2-adapter }},\
+        TUTORIALS_REF:${{ inputs.ref-tutorials }}"
+      system_tests_branch: ${{ inputs.system_tests_branch || 'develop' }}
+      log_level: "INFO"
+
+  run-system-tests-custom:
     name: Trigger system tests
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.suites != 'release' }}
     uses: precice/tutorials/.github/workflows/run_testsuite_workflow.yml@develop
     with:
-      suites: ${{ inputs.suites || 'release' }}
+      suites: ${{ inputs.suites }}
       build_args: "PRECICE_REF:${{ inputs.ref-precice }},\
         PYTHON_BINDINGS_REF:${{ inputs.ref-python-bindings }},\
         CALCULIX_ADAPTER_REF:${{ inputs.ref-calculix-adapter }},\
diff --git a/.github/workflows/system-tests-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/system-tests-pr.yml
index 98b32a349..d0fbb15fd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/system-tests-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/system-tests-pr.yml
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@ jobs:
       suites: release
       build_args: "TUTORIALS_REF:${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}"
       system_tests_branch: develop
-      log_level: "INFO"
\ No newline at end of file
+      log_level: "INFO"
diff --git a/changelog-entries/829.md b/changelog-entries/829.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6b0194c00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog-entries/829.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Parallelized scheduled latest-components system tests via a GitHub Actions matrix over `release_shard_1` and `release_shard_2` [#829](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/pull/829)
diff --git a/tools/tests/README.md b/tools/tests/README.md
index 35c983a1f..04df2dfae 100644
--- a/tools/tests/README.md
+++ b/tools/tests/README.md
@@ -54,6 +54,15 @@ To be able to fill in the right case tuple into the `tests.yaml`, you can use th
 
 ## Running the system tests on GitHub Actions
 
+The scheduled [System tests (latest components)](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/actions/workflows/system-tests-latest-components.yml)
+workflow runs as a GitHub Actions matrix over `release_shard_1` and `release_shard_2`
+(together they cover the same cases as `release`). When a shard fails, re-run only the
+failed matrix job. A manual dispatch with a suite other than `release` runs a single job
+with that suite. The PR workflow (`system-tests-pr.yml`) still runs the full `release` suite
+in one job. With multiple `precice-tests-vm` runners, shards may execute concurrently
+and may rebuild the same component images; duplicate Docker builds are acceptable in v1
+unless CI reports failures.
+
 Go to Actions > [Run Testsuite (manual)](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/actions/workflows/run_testsuite_manual.yml) to see this workflow.
 
 After bringing these changes to `master`, the manual triggering option should be visible on the top right. Until that happens, we can only trigger this workflow manually from the [GitHub CLI](https://github.blog/changelog/2021-04-15-github-cli-1-9-enables-you-to-work-with-github-actions-from-your-terminal/):
diff --git a/tools/tests/systemtests/TestSuite.py b/tools/tests/systemtests/TestSuite.py
index a498ca4bd..ab173c61d 100644
--- a/tools/tests/systemtests/TestSuite.py
+++ b/tools/tests/systemtests/TestSuite.py
@@ -33,6 +33,21 @@ class TestSuites(list):
     def __init__(self, testsuites: List[TestSuite]):
         self.testsuites = testsuites
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _iter_tutorial_cases(tutorials_section):
+        """Yield tutorial case dicts from a suite's tutorials section.
+
+        The release suite is defined as the union of shard lists via YAML anchors,
+        e.g. [*release_shard_1_tutorials, *release_shard_2_tutorials]. yaml.safe_load
+        turns each anchor into a nested Python list, so we flatten before parsing.
+        Static method: recursive helper with no instance state.
+        """
+        for item in tutorials_section:
+            if isinstance(item, list):
+                yield from TestSuites._iter_tutorial_cases(item)
+            else:
+                yield item
+
     @classmethod
     def from_yaml(cls, path, parsed_tutorials: Tutorials):
         """
@@ -55,7 +70,8 @@ def from_yaml(cls, path, parsed_tutorials: Tutorials):
                 max_time_windows_of_tutorial = {}
                 timeouts_of_tutorial = {}
                 # iterate over tutorials:
-                for tutorial_case in test_suites_raw[test_suite_name]['tutorials']:
+                for tutorial_case in cls._iter_tutorial_cases(
+                        test_suites_raw[test_suite_name]['tutorials']):
                     tutorial = parsed_tutorials.get_by_path(tutorial_case['path'])
                     if not tutorial:
                         raise Exception(f"No tutorial with path {tutorial_case['path']} found.")
diff --git a/tools/tests/tests.yaml b/tools/tests/tests.yaml
index 70faade1d..49eb79a77 100644
--- a/tools/tests/tests.yaml
+++ b/tools/tests/tests.yaml
@@ -540,13 +540,14 @@ test_suites:
 #####################################################################
 ## Test suites referring to the test suites defined above
 
-  release:
-    tutorials:
+  # Shards of release for parallel CI. release is their union (YAML anchors).
+  release_shard_1:
+    tutorials: &release_shard_1_tutorials
       - *breaking-dam-2d_fluid-openfoam_solid-calculix
       - *channel-transport_fluid-openfoam_transport-nutils
-      - *channel-transport-reaction_fluid-fenics_chemical-fenics
-      - *channel-transport-particles_fluid-openfoam_particles-mercurydpm
       - *channel-transport-particles_fluid-nutils_particles-mercurydpm
+      - *channel-transport-particles_fluid-openfoam_particles-mercurydpm
+      - *channel-transport-reaction_fluid-fenics_chemical-fenics
       - *elastic-tube-1d_fluid-cpp_solid-cpp
       - *elastic-tube-1d_fluid-cpp_solid-python
       - *elastic-tube-1d_fluid-fortran_solid-fortran
@@ -569,6 +570,9 @@ test_suites:
       - *oscillator_mass-left-fmi_mass-right-fmi
       - *oscillator_mass-left-python_mass-right-python
       - *oscillator-overlap_mass-left-python_mass-right-python
+
+  release_shard_2:
+    tutorials: &release_shard_2_tutorials
       - *partitioned-backwards-facing-step_fluid1-openfoam_fluid2-openfoam
       - *partitioned-elastic-beam_dirichlet-calculix_neumann-calculix
       - *partitioned-heat-conduction_dirichlet-fenics_neumann-fenics
@@ -596,6 +600,11 @@ test_suites:
       - *water-hammer_fluid1d-left-nutils_fluid3d-right-openfoam
       - *wolf-sheep-soil-creep_soil-creep-landlab_wolf-sheep-grass-mesa
 
+  release:
+    tutorials:
+      - *release_shard_1_tutorials
+      - *release_shard_2_tutorials
+
   # These tests take longer to run. They are available, but not regularly executed.
   extra:
     tutorials: