Anomaly Cancellations and Open-String Theories

In models of oriented closed strings, anomaly cancellations are deeply linked to the {\it modular invariance} of the torus amplitude. If open and/or unoriented strings are allowed, there are no non-trivial modular transformations in the additional genus-one amplitudes (Klein bottle, annulus and M\"obius strip). As originally recognized by Green and Schwarz, in the ten-dimensional type-I superstring the anomaly cancellation results from a delicate interplay between the contributions of these additional surfaces. In lower-dimensional models, the possible presence of a number of antisymmetric tensors yields a generalization of the Green-Schwarz mechanism. I illustrate these results by referring to some six-dimensional chiral models, and I conclude by addressing the additional difficulties that one meets when trying to extend the construction to chiral four-dimensional models. (Contribution to ''From Superstrings to Supergravity'', Erice, ITALY, december 5-12, 1992)